The Day That Everything Changed
by MickeyTRN
Summary: A story I wrote awhile back with rjai about her OC, Aidan. Cross-Posted to her account and AO3! It was a lot of fun collabing with her and I hope you all enjoy!


Aidan knew that something was amiss as soon as he felt a sudden chill around him. He looked around behind him, but nobody was there. Then, he got a feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.

He was right.

**oooooooo**

Hera couldn't help but hold her breath as she saw the Phantom descend from the skies, almost daintily touching down just outside the base. Something bad had happened. She could just feel it, down in her bones. From the moment Kanan had told her that they were leaving, she just knew in her gut that somehow it would end badly. But force, did she hope she was wrong.

It wasn't until the hydraulic ramp lowered and she saw the hasty bandage draped over the eyes of her best friend and her partner as he leaned against a boy that suddenly seemed far too small that her fears were confirmed. And it felt like her world was crashing around her.

Her heart seemed to drop when she realized the most terrible fact: Ahsoka was not there. What had happened? And when Ezra came closer with tears in his eyes, struggling to hold Kanan, she got a clear look at both of them- Ezra's face was unnaturally scarred. And Kanan's eyes were- Oh, stars, they were gone, with only a cruel red scar where they used to be.

It was as if her feet began to move without her consent. The next thing she knew, she was face-to-face with Kanan, her hands reaching up to cup his face. She needed to feel his skin beneath her fingertips - to prove that he was really there, and not just some figment of a twisted nightmare. But he was real. Everything about this was real, and their lives would never be the same.

Hera didn't want to hurt Kanan, but also couldn't resist lightly touching his scarred eyes after she took the blindfold off and saw what those Dark Side _monsters_ had done. They had taken Kanan's eyes- the most beautiful part of him- and she hated them for it. Not only for Kanan. But for Ezra. And... _Ahsoka_. Oh, no. What about the son she left behind? What about _Aidan_?

Hera's hands began to shake. She let her eyes shift from the terrible burned face of her partner, to the nearly catatonic Ezra that Zeb was currently speaking to in a tone softer than she had ever heard from him before. She couldn't help but begin to feel overwhelmed. Here she was, with a wounded warrior, a boy who had seen it all… and now a motherless child.

Oh Force, how would she tell him? How _could_ she tell him? It wasn't fair.

Aidan hadn't even made an appearance yet. She saw Rex in the crowd that greeted them, horror and realization on his face. He had lost a friend. Aidan has lost his mother.

Aidan was now an orphan, in the sense he didn't know his father. Didn't have him in his life.

Rex had come to see Ahsoka when she returned. But she hadn't, and now he was helping escort Kanan back to the medbay. Ezra and Zeb followed blindly behind.

Hera stood there alone, until finally there was commotion and a tall figure with long blonde hair came hurtling straight through the group of people. Rex was shouting at him. Aidan wasn't listening.

Of course he wasn't, in a situation like this. Hera could practically see a timer counting down,dangerously close to 0 until Aidan realized what was going on. Rex was already there, holding him before Ahsoka's son exploded.

"Aidan!" She called out for him, almost unconsciously. Call it a "mother's intuition," but somehow she just knew she needed to hear this from her.

But it had an unintended effect. The young man who she had called out to tensed, his nostrils flaring and Hera saw Rex's arms tighten around the boy as Aidan tried to lunge forward. "Where is she?!"He yelled, his voice agonizingly young."Where is my mother!?"

Hera looked into Aidan's eyes. So much fear laid under that anger. She had been in that exact spot before, all those years ago, back on Ryloth, when the resistance party returned without her own mother. There was no one there to comfort her then. She wouldn't let it be the same for Aidan.

"Rex, let him go."

The clone captain looked at her in disbelief, and in his moment of confusion Aidan was able to slip away. But once he was free, he didn't move except a few steps away from Rex.

"Where is she?"Aidan repeated, knowing full well the answer. Rex began to reach out again, but Aidan snarled and raised a threatening hand.

"Rex, please leave."Hera begged,imploring of him again. The man didn't move, and it was up to Hera to make the next advance. She took a cautioned step forward, feeling an awful lot like she was approaching a dangerous animal. Aidan's breathing was visibly labored, his cheat rising and falling deeply and rapidly. Hera's eyes brimmed with unshed tears. God, this was all so kriffed up. There was nothing she could say that the boy didn't already know. So instead, she did the only thing she could think: she opened her arms up wide, inviting the scared child in for an embrace.

And Aidan accepted. Hera had always been like an aunt to him, and now more than ever. Against his will, he flew into them and let himself be enveloped in a motherly embrace that would never be real again.

The two fell to their knees, wordlessly mourning in each others company. Aidan may have been growing taller than Hera, but her hand still found its way to the back of his head, gently cradling it into her shoulder and stroking the blond locks lovingly. She was tired of seeing children hurt like this, especially those in her own family.

"She always comes back. Always." Aidan clung to Hera as he sniffed and dug slightly more into her shoulder.

Hera wondered if the boy felt embarrased, or if he was too upset to care. It didn't matter to her-she would stay with him as long as he needed.

As the sniffing died down, Hera gently pulled away, holding his face, still so round with youth. "No matter what, I'm here. Remember that, love."

_Love._

The word stirred something in Aidan, something that moved the same way anytime his mother told him she loved him too.

Then...

"Thank you." He croaked.

She stroked his cheek with her thumb, wiped away a stray tear track. "How about you stay on the Ghost with us tonight?" she suggested, not wanting the boy to spend the night alone so soon after losing his mother.

Gods, Ahsoka was gone. Ahsoka, one of her best friends, her oldest confidante, gone, just like that. Just like Kanan's...

"You have room?" He asked, interrupting her thoughts. His guard was so far down he didn't even hesitate to ask.

"Always." She smiled softly, stroking his cheek again, noting how he leaned into the touch. From what she had seen, Ahsoka was never that openly physical with her son, and Hera wondered how often he had felt a warm mother's touch. "You could even take my top bunk in case you have nightmares."

"How do you know I'll have nightmares?"

"I had nightmares the night my mother died." Hera remembered.

When she said that, Aidan grew tense again. "Please don't say that aloud."

Hera was immediately stricken with grief. The poor boy didn't need a reminder, especially from her.

"I'm sorry," she spoke softly, helping him to his feet. "Why don't you grab some things and meet us back at the ship? I should go check on Kanan..." She looked down, crossing her arms tightly around her abdomen, almost as if she were trying to hug herself.

He obeyed, bounding off before screeching to a halt a few meters away. "Hera?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, about Kanan. I'm sorry for even thinking that I'd rather he died instead of my mother. I know why he means to you."

Hera was left in stunned silence. Such sincerity, such selflessness from a near child. A single, stray tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away before he could see it. "Thank you, love. I'll see you in a bit, okay?"

She couldn't cry. She had no right to cry.

After all, she still had Kanan.

She had Kanan, and Aidan had her. She'd make sure of that.

**Ooooooo**

"Aidan's gonna be staying with us for a bit, dear." Hera told Kanan, who was unusually silent on his hospital bed, eyes still covered by bacta with hope of saving them.

Kanan hummed softly, acknowledging he heard her, but not expressing any firm opinion about it. He figured it was only fair. After all, it was his fault Aidan was alone now. If he hadn't let his guard down, if he hadn't trusted Maul, then maybe Ahsoka would still be... "Have you checked on Ezra yet?" He asked, as much to change the subject as to truly inquire.

"I don't know where he is."Hera said back. "I was hoping he'd be with you."

Her partner shrugged."He may have left. I couldn't see anything."

Hera did not find his attempt at humour funny. Kanan coughed awkwardly, the small stab at humor effectively morphed into an uneasy silence.

"It's all my fault, Hera." He said softly. "Ahsoka shouldn't have died. I should've been the one to-"

"Stop!"Hera interrupted, inhaling sharply before continuing, her Lekku twitching nervously. "Don't say that."

"I mean it, if she hadn't faced Vader alone, or at all, she..." He trailed off into another bout of silence.

A small, choked sob escaped Hera's lips. Gods... Why?

Drawing in a shuddering breathe, she did her best to compose herself.

"No, Kanan. It's not your fault. Ahsoka made her choice, and you're needed here. With Ezra... With me..."

"And Aidan. I owe it to her to take care of Aidan, like she took care of Ezra many times."

"And Aidan."Hera agreed, taking his hand. Kanan's hands were unnaturally cold.

She frowned at that, gently rubbing his digits between her own, hoping to bring a bit of warmth back into the freezing extremities.

"Are you cold, dear?"

"Not cold in a way that can be fixed with blankets and warm clothes." He replied, which was not an answer she wanted. She couldn't help with that.

"How can I help?" She asked anyway.

"I'm sorry, Hera, you can't." Her mate responded. "But I think getting out of here can. And maybe talking to Rex and Aidan."

Hera stood up.

"Nice try, love, but you know as well as I that the medics say you have to stay at least overnight. I can try to send them in, though, if you'd like?"

Kanan thought for a moment, probably having second thoughts. "Maybe not..." But something in his speech had changed. "I'm just so cold, Hera. The Dark Side, it's-" Kanan's breath hitched and he nearly melted back into the covers. "It's so close... And it won't go away!"

"I'm right here, love." She gripped his hand and held him steady, soothing him to stillness.

Worriedly, Hera stayed dutifully at his side, waiting to make sure he made it in a somewhat peaceful sleep before she slipped through the room, headed toward the Ghost, and the poor boy who she now felt in charge of.

**oooooooo**

It didn't take long for Aidan to get his things and bring them back to the Ghost. It's not like he needed much anyways. He was a simple man, who was satisfied living off only what was necessary. It was a pragmatic way to live.

It was the way his mother taught him.

He had no sentimental items, except for an old necklace Leia had made him when they were young, and it was constantly on his person, never once lost. He had a supply of hairbands, and one other change of clothes. It all fit into one bag the size of a woman's purse.

"Your father would never have wanted you to live like this." A voice said from the doorway. Rex was there, fully aware of his job as protector and subtly introducing Aidan to his father now that Ahsoka was gone.

"My father."Aidan scoffed. "Can go die in a ditch."

Rex sighed. "Look,kid, I ain't gonna tell you how to feel, 'specially at a time like this, but... I'm just gonna say there are a lot worse people out there than your father."

"All that I know about my father is that he's never around. I thought when it mattered, he'd show up, but-"Aidan let out a heavy sigh, shrugging his shoulders and marching away.

Rex realized the problem. Deep down, Aidan wasn't mad at his absent father: no, he was truly frustrated with his mother for leaving him in the dark about the man who sired him. Aidan felt as if he wasn't good enough to know... That he had failed to hear it in time.

"I know, kid," Rex resigned solemnly. "It's not fair, and you deserve better. But this galaxy is so kriffed up... Just know that no matter what, you'll still have a family in us. Me, Hera, and the others. We're all here for you."

"No,_I_ don't deserve better. _Mom_ deserved better. She deserved a better son than me."

Rex didn't know if he was serious or just grieving. "Aidan,you know-"

"She gave me the gift of life when everyone told her not to. And all I did in return was fight her and go against her word. Rex, _I didn't even tell her goodbye!"_

Rex took Aidan by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye.

"Listen to me, Aidan. You are a kid. Specifically, you are a teenager. NOBODY expects a teenager to be obedient or affectionate towards their parents. Do you think your mom listened to general Skywalker when she was around your age? Hell no!" He chuckled foundly at the bittersweet memories before taking a deep breath and continuing. "My point is: your mother knew how much you love her. She still knows. And nothing you did differently would have made this whole situation better or worse. That's the end of it, lad."

The boy took a long breath, his shoulders able to be felt underneath his "uncle's" hands.

"Okay, Rex. I just... I hope you're right."

"Go get some rest."Rex suggested. "Or at least try."

Aidan shook his head no. "I think I'll try to find Ezra instead. He's probably not doing too good, either."

Rex looked down "you're probably right. That kid probably understands what you're going through right now more than any of us..."

Aidan notes the softness in the old soldier's voice. His heart hurt for Ezra, just like his own. It was only now that he was able to begin to understand the suffering Ezra had to go through from such a young age. It wasn't fair.

Ezra had told Aidan once that he hoped Aidan would never go through what he had. Well, now he was.

He felt a sudden urge to seek companionship from his best friend. Saying farewell to Rex, he went to find him.

As the young man left, Rex could only watch and hope that he would be able to mentor him much longer.

**ooooooooooo**

Ezra was tucked as far into the corner of his bunk as physically possible. There were about three blankets draped over his shoulders, courtesy of the fleeting visits from each member of the crew - well, almost each member.

Letting out a suffering breath, the boy leaned his forehead against the cool metal of the bunk wall, noting the contrast between it and the pulsing burn in his hand. The hand he had used to grab the Holocron with Kanan.

The Sith Holocron. Kanan.

This was all his fault.

If he hadn't sought out the Holocron. If he hadn't trusted Maul... Then maybe Kanan wouldn't be lying in the med bay. And maybe Ahsoka would still be...

He dissolved into a fit of sobs, his small frame wracked with guilt.

It was all his fault.

If it wasn't for him, Aidan would still have a mother. Ezra had turned Aidan into an orphan, a fate he wished nobody to have.

"I'm sorry." He sobbed, to nobody in particular, sliding down the wall to lay in a fetal position.

The Sith holocron was on his bedside table, taunting him, laughing at his suffering. Ezra covered his ears as best he could to escape the voices but they just kept coming and-

"Hey, you okay?"

A new voice, uniquely not any of the spectres.

"You just lost your mother."Ezra sniffed."And you're asking me if I'm okay?"

Aidan sighed and crossed the room in a few easy steps and sat down beside him.

Ezra buried his head into his arms. He couldn't look at Aidan right now. He didn't deserve to.

In fact, he didn't deserve to see at all, not while Kanan was blind. He didn't deserve to be there, next to Aidan, while Ahsoka was gone. He should've been the one who...

"Ezra," Aidan interrupted the thought, "you know I don't blame you, right?"

"Mom knew the risks. She always did." Aidan took a deep breath. "She did it all to protect me."

"Vader knows about you." Ezra blurted."I think that's why she felt like she needed to stay."

There was a long pause as Aidan processed that new information. His mother really gave it all to protect him from the most terrifying man to roam the galaxy. Not just Ezra, not just Kanan, but him.

He didn't know what to say.

His mother had been telling him that she would do anything to protect him ever since the day he was born. He had seen her chase his captors halfway across the galaxy to rescue him, had watched her fight inquisitors with no weapons whatsoever-

But he couldn't fathom the thought of her actually giving his life for him.

In a way, it made him think she was selfish for leaving him alone, without her guidance. But at the same time, it was like she was acknowledging what she never could admit.

That he didn't need her anymore.

Ezra shivered under his arm, snapping him back to reality. They'd both been through so much. He didn't know what to say anymore that could possibly ease the fear and the realization of the magnitude of what he had just seen, especially when he was having trouble processing it himself. So instead, he did the only thing he could still do with confidence.

He pulled Ezra into his arms, tucking his head under his chin and rubbing his back gently while his thin frame shook with heavy sobs. He rocked back and forth slightly, all the while trying to ignore the tears spilling down his own cheeks.

And he stayed there, holding Ezra until he cried himself to sleep.

**ooooooooo**

Hera was right.

Aidan did have nightmares, and she could hear him crying out for his mother just about every time she passed his bunk, no matter how many times she woke him up previously.

It was heartbreaking to hear, after all, she'd been in that same position before. She knew that pain, and the horror that goes along with it. There was nothing she could do to fix it.

And she didn't want any more of it.

For the fifth time that night, she climbed up the ladder and took ahold of his shoulder. "Aidan, _Aidan_, love. Wake up..."

The clock read about 500 hours in the morning, an acceptable time to wake up if she could convince him to get out of bed.

Aidan woke up with a gasp, his chest heaving. He looked around, calming down as he took in his surroundings. Hera waited patiently for him to adjust before making her presence known to him.

"Come on, love," she spoke softly, "Let's grab some breakfast."

The boy tossed off the covers and pratically melted down the ladder after her, landing with a thump on the ground. With his feet on solid ground again, Aidan pulled on his shirt with a robotic sense of movement.

As much as Hera wanted it to be nice, breakfast wasn't anything memorable especially this early in the morning.

_One day,_ she promised herself. _I'll take him for a real breakfast. I doubt he's had many of those in his life._

_He still hasn't said anything._

Aidan stared absently down at the table, finding a place to scrape at with his nail. "I'll eat anything." He finally said. "I'm used to having to force stuff down my throat at breakfast."

Not sure what to say, Hera just slid a cup of caf across the table to him.

Aidan visibly stiffened.

"What, would you prefer something else to drink?" Hera asked, looking at the mug pensively before returning her gaze to Aidan.

Aidan stared for a moment. That drink, once so valued by him because of its forbidden nature now felt wrong even to consider.

He could pratically hear his mother's voice in his head, chastising him for pouring himself a cup in the morning. But she wasn't there, and he had the freedom to make that choice on his own. So why did he so desperately cling onto her rule?

"I don't... want it..." Aidan said, still staring at the cup like he had been offered a bomb.

Before Hera could say anything else, he had slashed out a hand and struck the offending beverage, making it shatter against the wall it hit. The look in his eyes was back: the crazed animal look that had made him dangerous to approach before.

Just as quickly as it had come, Aidan was back to himself, looking at Hera as if not sure she was really there. "I miss her in everything I do."

Hera's expression quickly morphed from that of shock to one of softness and understanding. She slowly approached the boy, careful to avoid the puddle of caf and ceramic shards now creeping across the floor, and pulled Aidan into her arms. She rocked on her feet ever so slightly and carded her fingers through his hair, hoping to offer the kind of comfort she had so desired when her own mother passed.

"I know, love. I know."

"I don't know what I'm gonna do without her."

"The most important thing is that you remember that you aren't alone. You're stronger than you know, Aidan. You can make it through this, I know you don't like it when your mom talked about the force very much- but I hope you understand that she's still with you, if what Kanan says is right."

Aidan hung his head. It was true, he always got slightly heated whenever his mother would bring up the Force, but now? He'd give just about anything to hear her gab about that, or cleaning his bunk, or eating better, or being more responsible, or anything. Anything if it meant she waa there with him again.

"In that case," he conceded with a huff."May the force be with us all."

At that, Hera's grip on Aidan tightened for just a second, her mind drifting to Kanan and Ezra, trying her best not to let the thoughts of how broken everything had become so suddenly overwhelm her. She took a deep breath and let out a defeated chuckle.

"You can say that again..."


End file.
